Welcoming Fabrice Jaumont, author of The Bilingual Revolution, at the YMCA Mission Branch.
Fabrice Jaumont's arrival in San Francisco kicked off a fun and fast-paced weekend packed with an unforgettable array of multilingual events. Known as the godfather of language immersion programs, the amazing Mr. Jaumont, who recently wrote The Bilingual Revolution, fully lived up to his nickname, inspiring all those who met him.
It all started on Friday night with a warm welcome from YMCA Mission Branch Executive Marissa Cowan. What followed was a lively discussion about our group's mission of starting the city's first three-language program in Spanish, French, and English within the San Francisco Unified School District.
Panelists at the SF Bilingual Fair with moderator Fabrice Jaumont.
On Saturday morning, we set off to Le Méridien Hotel, site of the city's first bilingual fair. We had been invited to exhibit there by the wonderful Emmanuel Saint-Martin, whose event allowed us to reach more than 600 attendees. In the afternoon we participated in a terrific panel discussion, moderated by Mr. Jaumont. It was fantastic to hear the diverse viewpoints offered by panelists who included Utah Dual Language Immersion representatives Georgia Geerlings and Anne Lair, Redwood City parent Sophie Zugnoni, and SFUSD Multilingual Pathways Department Director Fernando Nuñez.
Having fun and talking language immersion at Barebottle Brewing Company.
On Sunday afternoon we wound down at Barebottle Brewing Company, which so kindly had permitted us to use their lounge. (Thank you Lester!) Group members spoke passionately about the benefits of dual language immersion, including closing the achievement gap and unifying our great city.
Thanks to everyone who made all the events so fantastic!